Twenties Crisis -OneShot-
by nattgeo
Summary: I'm not eighteen anymore. Not nine, let alone three. I'm exactly on my twenties, because as a rule, after twenty-five you stop counting.


_To my Arnold (who is not called Arnold)_

* * *

He call me lady. That boy over there call me lady without anesthesia or anything. I'm not eighteen anymore. Not nine, let alone three. I'm exactly on my twenties, because as a rule, after twenty-five you stop counting.

I'm already old, but not old enough to plan beyond my dinner today. Cereal with milk. Some habits die hard.

I'm at that point in my life where the only thing that interests me is to make sure that my cat Paco has enough food. Have money for the week, do not get pregnant and of course, always carry gum in my bag.

I'm not eighteen anymore. Before I could go out at night and dawn until the next day free from headaches or nausea. What is hangover? I had energy all day long without needing anything special. I felt strong all the time. My hormones had no limit, I wanted to be around my boyfriend all the time until I had a hot session of making out anywhere, and I mean it, anywhere. But now I'm on my twenties and now things are different. If I want to go out at night to drink I have to take a nap for at least three hours, otherwise I begin to yawn about eleven o'clock at night. And God save me from the headache if I drink too much. Now my life is based on coffee. Coffee at breakfast, coffee for energy, coffee to wake up, coffee for dinner, coffee ... because I really love coffee. If I do not take it, I can rip off anyone's head. And let's not start with my hormones that are now asleep. Although I do not know if I owe it to my twenties or the ones we have together. I will give it the benefit of the doubt.

I'm not nine either. I do not have the energy, the innocence, the irresponsibility of being a child. At nine years old, what did I care about paying taxes? What was that? Do you have to pay for services too? Going out to play late no matter if I warned or not at home, it is not that much will affect, but it is what the children had to do. Eat ice cream in the evenings, sit in the park to watch the clouds, feel the adrenaline to play a good game. Now I can hardly eat an ice cream without feeling that I gained weight or some side effect, I must eat balanced, I must be responsible and warn where I am so someone knows if something happens, I think about the future, I try to save ... they are things that come with the years, with maturity.

Much less I am three years old. The age where I found the greatest feeling there is. The age when I met my boyfriend. The age where I was given the freedom to say that everything was temporary and that things would improve. And suddenly to my twenties I realize that it is not like that, things do not improve over time, you change, situations change, but with movement, with decisions, not by themselves.

And then I get to my house, I leave my coat and my scarf on the coat rack, because of course, I have to be responsible and do it right. I put my keys delicately decorated with colored nail polish to identify them, on the table to my right side. And then I hear it. I hear that sound, the sweet sound of the coffee machine bubbling, and I know it is due only to one person.

I went into the kitchen and took a moment to look at him, he is in front of the stove, preparing a delicious dinner because he knows that I will arrive hungry after a long meeting with losers advertisers wanting to take another book from my gut. From my position I appreciate each of his muscles under that scruffy white T-shirt that makes it incredibly easy to relax.

And then I realize. When I'm with him it doesn't matter if I'm thirteen, ten, or nine. At his side I feel the butterflies in my stomach as if I have nine, I am capable of being the most naive person as if I had three, I have the energy of my fifteen, the intensity of my eighteen, the tantrums of my five, the serenity of my twenty. It makes me feel complete, because with us the time does not run, I can be a girl who sees cartoons at his side, I can be a teenager wanting more of him until dawn, I can be a responsible adult to take care of our food and thus be together more time. We can spend an entire night watching marathons of horror movies like nineteen or we can go to dinner at a fancy restaurant like twenty-three. At his side there is no time, there is no age, it is only us, enjoying ourselves and being happy as we have been many times.

My plan fails when I feel his arms around my waist and I know I missed my chance to make a joke and scare him. My smile is instantaneous and I can see it in his eyes. Those eyes that make me lose myself over and over again.

"What was planning that little head of yours?" There is no "hello", no greeting, always straight to the point, with the years we learned to cut branches and be direct, maybe it is not the most romantic way, but it is our way of doing it and that makes it more special.

"Nothing. I was just thinking of the best way to get rid of an intruder."

"Do you want to get rid of me Miss Pataki?"

"That was until I saw that this intruder has the decency to cook dinner, so I'll give you a chance."

"I hope you don't do that with all the intruders."

"I hope you don't make dinner in all the houses that you enter Arnaldo. Your culinary skills should be reserved for someone with an exquisite taste for food. Preference blonde." Seeing he's about to interrupt my speech, I'll cut him short. "No Arnold, Harold doesn't count."

"First of all, missy, it's Arnoldo, not Arnaldo. Second of all, I do not consider myself an intruder if I have a copy of the key, and no." Now he interrupts me. "I did not take that copy, I can prove that you gave it to me because he has your attempt at decoration from your season of crazy obsession for Pinterest." I chuckle as I remember the table full of crafts and decorations thanks to that dark time. Unfortunately Arnold was the most affected and for weeks he wore Mason jars decorated with things for office. "And as an extra, that only proves that you are a boring. You should share my talents"

Before I can reply, I feel his arms leave my waist and I was unprepared to feel that he takes my legs and lift me up in the newly married bride style, my face starts to get hot and my legs on their own to look for exit.

"Put me down, you barbarian!"

"Yes Helga, because I am the wild one." He rolls his eyes in the form that knows that it exasperates to me and blows a little to my front to remove the hair of my eyes. "Now stop moving you and we are going to have dinner, after that you can kill me if you want."

I stopped moving me and he lowered me. This is what I mean, we play as if we had fifteen and I know I can not get enough of this feeling. So I made my decision. At the end of our dinner he helps me to wash the dishes before taking his things and go to his apartment. I know that tomorrow he has this big meeting with his bosses, and even if he does not admit it, I know he is nervous.

"I was thinking." I'm about to reach the door of my house.

"Careful, do not hurt yourself." I tapped his shoulder lightly and he began to laugh. "Sorry Sorry."

"Be careful, Arnold, old Betsy has not left yet. I have an idea."

"An idea? Tell me what does not involve Mason Jars."

"Well, no, but now that you say it, I'll include them in whatever way I can. Now shut up and listen carefully. This is serious"

"Okay love, tell me about your idea."

I became nervous, I admit it, as if I were eleven years old and I went to confess my love. Of that already years ago, and wasn't easy, I hope this time came out better than the first.

"What about if you stop being an intruder?"

"Well, to stop being an intruder would have to be one in the first place Helga."

One of the few times I curse his naivety and innocence. Because they are almost always welcome.

"No football head. You don't understand ... I mean …"

"Helga, you do not really consider me an intruder, right? Yes it is true that I spent much more time here than in my apartment, but if that is a nuisance for you we can make the …"

"Arnold, for God's sake, you don't make this easy. Ok, I'll tell you directly. Let's live together."

There was a silence, I don't know if yes or no, I don't know what he's thinking, I think it's the first time that I could hear the buzzing that my thoughts do. No, I'm crazy, I'm just nervous because Arnold has not moved or blinked for two minutes. Are they two minutes? Maybe three.

"OK, it's OK. Take it slow, take your time, I'll wait here. - When I have no answer I put my hand in the bag on the coat rack and as always I get my trust wort chewing gum, because sometimes I'm also a grandma. "By the way, I meant you and me, but you understand ... ok, I'll wait"

I begin to hyperventilate low, so that he does not realize, I turn around to give him space and I listen as the door closes. I was scared to think he was so frightened that he left, but I meet him and a huge smile on his face. Goodness. I was beginning to worry.

"The first time I proposed, you told me it was not possible because of our crazy work schedules."

"Yes, well, we started working and we were barely eighteen years old …"

"The second time I proposed to you, you said we were not economically stable to do it."

"Well, what can I say? I'm always thinking about the future."

"Helga, you said that we could not afford Paco's food. And you had already published your book and I had just titled myself."

"Paco could have died of starvation."

"The third time I proposed to you, you told me that you did not like the color yellow. Period"

"It's the truth, I hate that color."

"Are you sure?"

I take a moment, and look into his eyes, my childhood, my adolescence, my youth ... I see everything there, and if I am honest with myself, I can also see my future.

"Hundred percent." He came up to me, take my face and kiss me, I must admit that I melt a little inside and I separate a few centimeters. "But you have to ask my hand to Paco, planning the wedding, you know how it is.

He starts laughing, I swear it's the most beautiful thing on earth. "I can control Paco, now let's go."

"Where we go?"

"To buy Mason Jars"

"I'm beginning to believe you like the Mason Jars and agreed to live with me only for my fabulous decorations."

"That's right, it's all for the freaking Masons Jars."

I can not help it and I laugh, I laugh with happiness, I laugh for his charisma. My name is Helga Geraldine Pataki, I am twenty-seven years old, sometimes eighteen, sometimes nine, and sometimes three. Sometimes all and sometimes none. Because it does not matter, no matter what years I have or the crises that come because I will always have a way back to them.

* * *

 _Hi to all the new readers. This is my fist one shot in English, this isn't my first language but I thought that I can give it a try. I hope you find it good_.


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